Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ALTERNATIVE
SOIL AMENDMENTS
A ppropriate Technology Transfer for R ural A reas
HORTICULTURE TECHNICAL NOTE
www.attra.ncat.org
ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information center funded by the USDA’s Rural Business -- Cooperative Service.
ABSTRACT: This publication covers soil amendments that are not standard agricultural fertilizers. These include plant and
animal by-products, rock powders, seaweed, inoculants, conditioners and others. Much of the information is taken from research
reports by Iowa State University and the Rodale Institute Research Center, which cover the material in greater detail (2, 9). The
reader is referred to these works for additional information. Another ATTRA publication, Sources for Organic Fertilizers and
Amendments, serves as a companion piece to this document. It provides sources for the materials discussed herein.
Table of Contents
Amendments in Proper Context...........................................................2
Plant & Animal By-Products ................................................................2
Manure & Compost Based Products ....................................................3
Rock and Mineral Powders ..................................................................4
Seaweed Products ...............................................................................7
Microbial Inoculants ............................................................................8
Soil Conditioners ..................................................................................10
Evaluate Products Carefully.................................................................10
References ...........................................................................................11
Organic certification programs and their field Fruit pomaces are what remain after the juice is
inspectors have reported persistent problems extracted. They are heavy, wet products
with alternative soil amendments other than the normally available only locally, and best
better-known alternative fertilizer materials. composted before use.
Some farmers have been refused certification
because they took the word of a product Leaf compost is increasingly available as more
promoter and applied an alternative soil and more municipalities compost urban and
Soybean meal is, like alfalfa, most commonly Leather meal is ground tannery waste with 10%
used as a protein supplement for animal feeds. nitrogen. Unfortunately, most leather meal also
With about 7% nitrogen it can be a useful, but contains about 3% added chromium (a toxic
expensive, fertilizer material. heavy metal), and is thus prohibited in organic
agriculture.
Wood ash contains about 2% phosphate and 6%
potash, but may be contaminated with heavy Manure and Compost Based
metals or plastic and typically has a high salt
Products
content. Wood ash is rather alkaline, and
excessive use can be quite damaging to many One of the most common types of prepackaged
soils. Some organic programs restrict its use. alternative soil amendments is the manure- or
compost-based blended fertilizer. Several of
Animal by-products these products have national distribution, and
many more enjoy a loyal regional following. Such
Blood meal is dried slaughterhouse waste products are typically analyzed at 2 to 5% for
containing about 12% nitrogen. Unless used each nutrient. Dried compost is used as a
carefully, it can burn plants with ammonia, lose bulking agent, source of nutrients, and organic
much of its nitrogen through volatilization, or matter. It is blended with several of the materials
encourage fungal growth. In view of the discussed in this publication, including rock
extremely high cost of blood meal, farmers minerals and plant and animal by-products.
should be sure that it really is the best source of Nearly all products of this class sell for prices
nitrogen in a given situation. about three times greater than their conventional
fertilizer value, but may be quite effective in farm
Bone meal is discussed under phosphate sources, situations. However, farmers with access to other
in the section titled “Rock and Mineral Powders.” sources of manure or compost can realize
substantial savings by relying on local manure
Feather meal is a common by-product of the resources. Some manure-based, blended
poultry slaughter industry. Although total fertilizers contain ingredients prohibited by one
nitrogen levels are fairly high (7 to 10%), the or more organic certification programs and may
nature of feathers is such that they break down not be used in certified production; others may be
and release their nitrogen much more slowly disqualified because the manufacturer refuses to
than many products of similar price. reveal the "secret" ingredients.
Fish meal and fish emulsion are, like most animal Composted sewage sludge is marketed as a
by-products, rich in nitrogen. Fish meal contains fertilizer and soil amendment. This compost
about 10% nitrogen, along with about 6% provides organic matter and a number of
phosphate. It is most frequently used as a feed nutrients, and as marketed, is solid with little
additive, but can be used as a fertilizer. The odor. The greatest potential problems with using
fertilizer analysis of fish emulsion varies with composted sludge are heavy metals from
preparation method. Whole fish and fish parts industrial waste, along with assorted chemical
must be digested to form a slurry, a process contaminants (from household cleaners, latex
accomplished with the aid of either phosphoric paint, and other things people flush down their
acid or special enzymes. Acid-digested fish drains). Pathogens are controlled fairly easily
emulsion usually has an analysis around 4-4-1, through proper composting, which raises the
while enzyme-digested fish emulsion is usually temperature of the composting material
Alternative potash (potassium) sources are Another source of slowly available potash,
similar to alternative phosphates in that there are popular in alternative agriculture, is the clay-type
a variety of sources, with differing availability mineral, glauconite, commonly sold as
and fertility value. As with phosphate, there is a greensand. Total potash content of greensand is
difference between available potash and total around 7%, all of which is deeply locked into the
potash; similarly, there is a difference between mineral and only slowly available. Greensand is
pure potassium and potash, with the potash also said to have desirable effects on soil
number being 1.2 times higher than potassium structure. Its high price, however, limits its use
for the same amount of nutrient. solely to high-value horticultural applications.
Two sources of potash, potassium sulfate and Feldspar is one of the major potassium-bearing
potassium magnesium sulfate (langbeinite), are minerals of granite. Feldspar powder is fairly
commonly enough used in conventional easily obtained through the ceramics trade.
agriculture that they can hardly be considered Unfortunately, most feldspar potash is as tightly
alternative, save for the fact that both are bound within its mineral structure as is the
regularly used in certified organic agriculture. potash in greensand. Unless particular
There are two forms of potassium sulfate on the circumstances provide a clear indication that
market. One is derived by reacting sulfuric acid feldspar is the most appropriate source of potash,
with potassium chloride. It is a good fertilizer, it is proabably not cost-effective.
but not acceptable in certified organic
production. Natural potassium sulfate, from Certain micas, particularly biotite (black mica),
Great Salt Lake, is extracted by a differential contain several percent total potash, which,
evaporation process lasting three years. It can be because of mica's physical structure (quite
used in organic farming. Langbeinite goes from different than feldspar or glauconite), is relatively
mine to field with minimal processing. available in microbially active environments. If
pure biotite can be obtained at a reasonable price,
it may be cost-effective and useful.
situations. Some extracts, however, are not three broad groups: 1) those that inoculate
acceptable in certified organic production, individual plants with symbiotic organisms
depending on the extraction process used. (chiefly Rhizobia spp.), 2) those that inoculate the
crop system. Mat establishment could only occur need from the resources at hand. The most likely
in the absence of soil disturbance. Therefore, benefit of applying a vitamin product would be
application would need to be made only after a as a “quick fix” measure for plants grown under
final cultivation. Lastly, a continuously moist poor conditions, provided it is possible to
The ATTRA Project is operated by the National Center for Appropriate Technology under a grant from the
Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not
recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuals. ATTRA is located in the Ozark Mountains
at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville at P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702. ATTRA staff
members prefer to receive requests for information about sustainable agriculture via the toll-free
number 800-346-9140.